Swinging bridge



JOSEPH ROSS, OF IPSWICH, MASSACHUSETTS.

` swINGING BRIDGE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 5,997, dated January 2, 1849.

To allzu/wm t may concern; j f

Be' it known that I, JosErH Ross, of Ipswich, in the county of Essex andState of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful or Improved Drawfor Railroad Viaducts or Bridges Over Navigable Streams or Rivers; and Ido hereby declare that the same is fully described and represented inthe following specification and accompanying drawings, letters, figures,and referencesy thereof.

Of the said drawings, Figure 1, exhibits a top view or plan of myimproved draw, as applied to a railway viaduct. Fig. 2, a side elvationof the same. j

In said figures, A, B, A, B', denote'the rail stringers of a bridge,each two of which is arranged and supported on two or more piers C, D,or C', D', or in any other suitable manner, the two piers D, and D,being placed at such a distance apart as may not only be necessary for adraw opening for the passage through the bridge of such vessels as maynavigate the waters over which thel bridge may be thrown, but also toallow of the correct adaptation and operations of the turning draw aswill be hereinafter explained.

The draw is made as follows: Two beams or timbers fra-mes or trusses E,F, are disposed parallelto one another, and bet-Ween the two sets ofrail timbersA, B, A, B., as seen in the drawings. They are connectedtogether by anyy suitablenumber of bars G, G, &c.,'which are disposedparallel to each other, and jointed at their ends tothe two beams ortrusses E, F, in such manner as will allow of both of the two beams ortrusses being simultaneously turned around on their joint pins a, a, atone end of each of them, the said joint pins being arranged as seen inthe drawings, and for the purpose of allowing the two beams or frames E,F, to be each turned out at right angles to the main bridge and over theside pier or wharf H, as denoted by red lines in Fig. 1. It is intendedthat each beam or frame shall be so hinged or jointed to the main bridgeas to allow of its being moved around like a gate on its hinges and intoa position perpendicular with the bridge in order to leave lthe drawopening clear for the passage of a f vessel through it. lThe rear end ofeach frame .is to be sustained on a suitable pier or foundation I, aswell as on the main pier .which supports the adjacent ends of the tworail timbers A,.B. So in regard to the front .ends vof the two beams orframes, they may be similarly supported y(when in line kwith theirrespective rail timbers) on a shelf or pier B, and the pier D, or onlyon the latter as occasion may require." Extending underneath the twobeams, or trussed frames E, F, and in a directionvparallel to ahorizontal line passing through the centers or axes of the two turningpins or bolts a, a, isa saddle timber L, which should be jointed orconnected to the two frames,in a manner similar to that in which each ofthe parallel 'bars G, G, & c., are connected to the said frames,

Vthe said parallel bars G, G, &c., being respectively arranged parallelto the said sad-V dletimber.

` The saddle timber is made to project some distance beyond each of thetimbers or fra-mes E, F, and has ay square iron collar b, and an eye c,fitted fon each end of it, as

seen' in the drawings. One end of one of two y suspension vrods M, N, ishooked through each one of the said eyes c, c, the other or upper end ofsaid rod being similarly hooked through one of two eyes of eye bolts d,e,

inserted in `the upper part lof a vertical frame O, raised on or vnearthe piers D, I, the said vertical frame being stayed by inclinedstay-rods Q Q, and struts P, P, R,

disposed as seen in the drawings. Each of` the sustaining rods M, N, maybe composed of two rods f, g, united Yby ascrew nut h.,

made with'a right and left threaded screw,

and screwed on corresponding screws' made on the rods f, g, the same:being for the pur- I pose of lengthening or shortening each of the rodsM, N, as occasion may require. two eyes of the leye bolts at the upperpart of the frame O, should be arranged with their centers in ahorizontal line made par-l allel to a horizontal line supposed to passthrough the axes of the turning pins of the two frames or beams E, F.This will enable The us to make the two suspension'rods M, N, j

of the same length, and admit of their moving around with the draw,composed of the two frames E, F. In Fig. 1, the draw is represented bythe blue lines as open at an angle of forty five degrees or thereaboutswith the main bridge.

Suitable contrivances should be aiiixed to the draw for locking it inplace either when .1110

closed or open. The iron trackrails are to be laid on the rail timbersof thel bridge, and also on the upper side of the two beams, or

trussed frames E, F, the ends of the rail timbers and the timbers E, F,where they 5 come `together being each made with av chamfer or bevel asseen in Fig. l.

I wish it distinctly understood that I do are connected, as all thesethings must varied according to circumstances, but

What I do claim as `my invention is- A draw constructed of two or moreparallel 'turning frames or timbers E, F, and 20 supported, and made tooperate with respect to thev bridgesubstantially as above specified;

ln testimony `whereof I have hereto set ymy signature this twenty fourthday of April, A. D. 154s.

JOSEPH Ross.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, F. GOULD'.

